I've finally arrived ... at one gun

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I've finally arrived ... at one gun

As I approach my 62nd birthday and look back over the sheer number of guns (rifles, shotguns, revolver and pistols) I've owned or had issued to me, I am pleased to report that I've finally gotten to the point of no return - one handgun for all purposes. There are many like it, but this Gen 4 Glock 26 is MINE and mine alone.

Here's my rationale:

As I get older my memory gets worse, so I don't want to have guns and ammo hidden all over the place because I have found myself forgetting them and that's not a good thing. The more I have tinkered with modifying my Glocks the more I realize that my trigger finger isn't sensitive enough to reap the rewards of the investment, so why not leave it stock? The more I read online and elsewhere I realized that a baby Glock is just as accurate as larger ones, but far easier to conceal and handle, with quicker sight acquisition recovering from recoil (which is less with a 9mm than a .40 caliber - my former caliber of choice). The more I understand about terminal ballistics, I have total faith in a premium HP 9mm round to stop a threat --- if I do my job and place the round where it needs to go.

The more I practice in competition, like IDPA or IPSC, the more familiar I become with my gun and the more confidence I have in its reliability (and Glock 9mms have always been totally reliable in my personal experience). With a 9mm I can afford to practice more and I can even afford to compete with my HP carry ammo on occasion each year. With only ONE Glock all my holsters will fit so I've got one for every occasion.

With my wife also carrying her one gun, a Gen 3 Model 26, we can share magazines and ammunition; in fact, if there are times when I don't want to carry or find it inappropriate, it's a comfort to know that she always has her G26 in her Galco purse (the one I bought her two years ago).

All of that said and done I've had to change my user name from Snowbird.40 to my new own ... 1gunsnowbird. I think it has a nice ring to it. If I ever NEED my one gun for self defense I am totally confident in the gun's ability and my own familiarity with it to feel that I can prevail and that's a great comfort to me.

As I approach my 62nd birthday and look back over the sheer number of guns (rifles, shotguns, revolver and pistols) I've owned or had issued to me, I am pleased to report that I've finally gotten to the point of no return - one handgun for all purposes. There are many like it, but this Gen 4 Glock 26 is MINE and mine alone.

Here's my rationale:

As I get older my memory gets worse, so I don't want to have guns and ammo hidden all over the place because I have found myself forgetting them and that's not a good thing. The more I have tinkered with modifying my Glocks the more I realize that my trigger finger isn't sensitive enough to reap the rewards of the investment, so why not leave it stock? The more I read online and elsewhere I realized that a baby Glock is just as accurate as larger ones, but far easier to conceal and handle, with quicker sight acquisition recovering from recoil (which is less with a 9mm than a .40 caliber - my former caliber of choice). The more I understand about terminal ballistics, I have total faith in a premium HP 9mm round to stop a threat --- if I do my job and place the round where it needs to go.

The more I practice in competition, like IDPA or IPSC, the more familiar I become with my gun and the more confidence I have in its reliability (and Glock 9mms have always been totally reliable in my personal experience). With a 9mm I can afford to practice more and I can even afford to compete with my HP carry ammo on occasion each year. With only ONE Glock all my holsters will fit so I've got one for every occasion.

With my wife also carrying her one gun, a Gen 3 Model 26, we can share magazines and ammunition; in fact, if there are times when I don't want to carry or find it inappropriate, it's a comfort to know that she always has her G26 in her Galco purse (the one I bought her two years ago).

All of that said and done I've had to change my user name from Snowbird.40 to my new own ... 1gunsnowbird. I think it has a nice ring to it. If I ever NEED my one gun for self defense I am totally confident in the gun's ability and my own familiarity with it to feel that I can prevail and that's a great comfort to me.

Take care and keep your powder dry.

1gunsnowbird

Dude, you got it all wrong... the one who dies with the most guns gets a special gold sticker in heaven

While I never thought about this in the past. I've been pondering the quesion lately. I'm sure it could change over time. But if I were only allowed to have one pistol. I'm not sure which one it would be? Or if I could do it? But if pressed, the Glock 26 just might be the one I have until the end.

That said I'd miss my 1911's and snub .38's

I know I'll want something that is easy to operate and maintain with mild(er) recoil.

There's something to be said for consistency...but I'm still in the "needing different guns for different carry applications" stage. Perhaps I could find creative ways to carry just one gun, or buy various holsters to accommodate carrying only one gun, but right now it is easy (since I already have them) to toss an airweight snub or single stack mousegun auto in a pocket or IWB holster regardless of my attire. It's never a bad idea to reassess our carry needs based on how our lifestyles change over time. As we change, so must our perspective on self defense.

I still have several guns but I am coming more and more to,the realization that my carry weapon is my Sig P229 E2 in 9mm. Still carry the others but not as much as I do the 229.

I'm a huge fan of the P220 and think it is one of the best .45s ever made. But it is heavy and only hold 8+1 so to carrying spares can quickly get out of hand. I like the fact that with the 229 one spare mag puts me over 30 rds.

Glocks are great guns and I'm glad you have settled on the one gun for you.

tkruf - I actually read something about the baby Glocks being more accurate waaaaay back in 2004 when I bought my first one, a G27. But, recently an article by Massad Ayoob in the Harris Press publication called The Complete Book of Handguns (I think that's the title, it's out on loan right now) describes WHY the G26 is more accurate than larger 9mm Glocks and how some men are winning the Glockmeister category at GSSF matches with their G26s, often with G19 and/or G17 magazines. They are beating other competitors with G17s and G34s. Can't say I'll ever accomplish that level of speed and accuracy at my age, but I do think I can shave 15 seconds off my IDPA Classifier score in SSP and make Expert.

Not only would that accomplishment give me increased self confidence when I carry and/or compete, but it would demonstrate a serious effort to achieve a high level of proficiency and accuracy in a court of law should I ever need to defend myself following a righteous self-defense shooting.

Brad - Sorry to say that they have been sold and the cash is being converted into reasonably priced self defense ammo for the G26. I have found Federal 115-grain +P+ (9BPLE) in 50 round boxes for about $19 a box delivered to my door. I figure that at that price I can afford to shoot my carry ammo in IDPA matches a couple times a year, which will, again, increase my level of confidence in both the gun I carry and my wife's gun (which I'll also shoot occasionally) and the ammo, in terms of reliability and accuracy.